The future is now: Creating our sustainable planet together

Sustainability scores big in major league sports: A game-changing approach to producing sustainable events

sustainability_blog.jpg

June 21, 2023 - Did you know that each year the top 200 stadiums in the U.S. have nearly 181 million visitors? Did you also know that major league sporting events create roughly five million tons of carbon emissions?

The big four professional sports in the U.S. are the NFL, MLB, NBA, and the NHL. These sporting events bring in an enormous number of people into its stadiums each year, celebrating wins and losses, and now is the time for sustainability to win. Sustainability is a must, and not something we can worry about in the future.

According to Forbes, 87 percent of consumers have a more positive image of an organization that follows social or environmental issues. The data shows that over 70 percent of people stated that environmental efforts were important regarding their fandom of the athletics program. BSI cares about sustainability and values, just like you do, so we are excited to provide our support to making your events sustainable. Join us in taking steps towards a better future for people and our planet.

Stadiums and arenas have high energy and water demands, while also generating significant greenhouse gas emissions and tons of waste yearly. Waste Management (WM) approximates that the four major professional leagues produce 35,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year from waste created by activities of fans. We must leave our planet better for future generations to come and it’s our responsibility to take steps to sustainable development goals, even small steps, because the small steps turn into big ones.

ISO 20121

ISO 20121:2012 is the standard for sustainability in the events management industry and BSI provides a framework for managing the sustainability of events, including sports events. This standard will help to minimize your impact on the environment, the economy, maximize performance, achieve energy efficiency, and win full support from all stakeholders.

ISO 20121 is an umbrella standard and several others fall below it, like 14001, which is an environmental management system. The sustainability events management standard takes into account environmental, social, and financial impacts. It’s vital for major league sports to be sustainable when managing and conducting sports events while also considering geography, culture, and social demographics.  

Benefits of ISO 20121:

  • Cost and resource saving
  • Legal compliance
  • Responsible ‘corporate citizen’
  • Competitive edge
  • Corporate reputation
  • Risk management

How BSI can help

We are pioneers. In 2007, we produced the world’s first events sustainability management standard, BS 8901, now ISO 20121. You can trust us to get the standard right and keep it relevant. BSI continues to lead the way with ongoing developments in sustainability, including environmental management, energy management, corporate social responsibility, product carbon foot printing, and biodiversity. Our extensive range of sustainability solutions helps you implement best practice within your organization. Through training, proprietary management software, and compliance tools, you can select the combination of products you need to help you demonstrate your credibility as a truly sustainable organization. 

BSI and ISO 20121 certification

BSI is here to support you in all your sustainability and eco-friendly needs. We can assist you on how ISO 20121 helps to achieve the highest levels of efficiency and performance – reducing waste, energy use, and environmental impacts. If you haven’t joined the sustainable community, now is the time. BSI collaborates with top organizations in support of becoming more sustainable in sporting events.

  • Generation Z shoppers would rather buy sustainable brands and would spend 10 percent more on eco-friendly and sustainable products.
  • 75 percent of Zoomers said they wanted brands that ensure employee and consumer safety.

“We’re thrilled to partner with BSI as a GSA member, our organizations, and goals to reduce environmental impact together align quite well, they are a company with a storied history and a global reach that has already worked with some of the largest events in the world to certify them to ISO 20121,“ said Roger McClendon, Executive Director, Green Sports Alliance. “The U.S. is a critical market in terms of sports and entertainment. We want to see all venues and teams increase their commitment to sustainability and build management systems reduce impact, the opportunity is to get certified to this global standard.”.”

Diana Dehm, Director of Sustainability for the Americas at BSI, said, “Attending an event is an inspiring experience for everyone, whether it’s watching our favorite band play or sports team win. We have the opportunity to harness the power of the sports and entertainment industries and their legions of fans to collaborate in our communities to reduce our collective carbon footprint, as well as energy and water usage and waste. Working together, we can inspire and educate generations of fans while accelerating progress to a more sustainable world."

Businesses, no matter the size, can deliver world-class events regardless of potential budget or time restrictions. Whatever your starting point with sustainable event management is, BSI provides services that can be packaged and customized just for you.  As a responsible consumer and company, you can make a difference by choosing eco-friendly products and supporting companies that prioritize sustainability, like BSI. To find out more about standards and how BSI can help your company become more resilient, click here. Click below to follow our series.